Away in a Manger

The infancy narrative in the Gospel According to Luke is written not as a biography of Jesus, but as a testament to the identity of Jesus of Nazareth as our Risen Lord. One of the ways the gospel of Luke illustrates this truth is in the simple story of Jesus' birth in a manger.

The birth in the manger recalls the words of the prophet Isaiah, in which we hear the deep longing of God for His beloved people: "The ass knows its owner; and the donkey knows the anger of its lord; but Israel has not known me; my people has not understood me" (Is 1:3). In Luke's gospel, when the shepherds come to the manger and rejoice over their savior, Luke is telling us that in the person of Jesus Israel has begun to find the manger of its Lord.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Christians sing the beautiful Advent hymn, inviting Emmanuel ("God with us") to come into our lives and hearts once again. But how many of us know the history of the name, given to Our Lord Jesus?

The name Emmanuel is applied to Jesus in Matthew 1:23, but the gospel writer is quoting Isaiah 7:14. In this Old Testament passage, God gives Ahaz, the King of Judah, a sign that God will protect Judah against enemies that are threatening Jerusalem. Isaiah tells Ahaz, "The young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." But Ahaz's faith was weak. So instead of trusting in God's protection, he made an alliance with the cruel superpower of his day, Assyria.